The White Lion - Voltron X Reader
by StormsOfBoredom
Summary: Y/n was a prisoner of Zarkon, saved by the paladins of Voltron. With a scarred past, will she be able to overcome her personal struggles and live up to the legacy of the white lion? Or will she fail her new friends, and give in to the internal demons? COVER CREDIT: furrychaos
1. Chapter 1

"Paladins, get in your lions and prepare for battle!" Allura yelled, standing at the controls to direct the castle.

"Why? What's going on?" Keith looked up, his hand resting on his bayard.

"A Galra battleship is chasing us! I can wormhole a few galaxies away, but I need you five to explore the ship. We're detecting other species of life than Galra." The princess looked worried but determined as ever.

"You heard her. Team, let's move out!" Shiro nodded affirmatively, standing up with a sense of urgency.

The others began running to the docking bay, letting out collective mumbles of agreement.

The castle emerged from the wormhole and they all looked at the distant Galra battleship, flying the lions into space.

"So what's the plan? We gonna go in there and blast them or-?" Lance started, watching the Galra ship from the blue lion.

"No Lance, there are possible prisoners in there! We can't just 'go in there and blast them'!" Keith quickly argued, rolling his eyes.

"Well-" Lance was cut off for the second time by Pidge, "Both of you be quiet! If my family is in there we certainly aren't blasting them."

"Pidge is right," Shiro nodded, "We have to be careful. Our best shot is to leave the lions at the castle and sneak in. We can all take the green lion in since it has camouflage. We'll split up into teams and search. Pidge and Hunk, you two go together. Pidge, hack into their systems and look for prisoners while watching over us. Hunk, defend her while she's busy." They both nodded affirmatively. "Lance and Keith, come with me. We can look around." The two boys hummed in agreement. "Alright team, let's move out!"

The paladins all packed into the green lion and left the others behind, beginning to fly towards the Galra ship.

 **(Y/n)'s P.O.V**

I opened my eyes to hear a Galra soldier yelling an order in my ear as several dragged me to my feet off the hard floor and instantly shoved me in front of them, my hands behind my back as they pushed me along. I had gotten used to that procedure a long time ago. I hung my head and walked along, already knowing where we were going.

 _Right, right, left, straight, straight, straight, left, right, right, slight down..._

I thought to myself, my eyes dull. I had traveled this route so many times I had memorized the path. Already I heard the telltale noises of screaming and fighting echoing down the hallway as we got closer.

 _5 more steps..._

My heart began beating faster as the yelling got louder and louder.

 _4..._

Sweat slid down my temples.

 _3..._

My steps slowed and I was prodded in the back firmly by a guard.

 _2..._

My mouth felt dry.

 _1..._

The gates in front of me slid open as I was shoved into the ring, surrounded by bloodstains, and I looked up to face another one of Zarkon's champions growling down at me.

 _0..._

I stumbled backwards slightly, clenching my hands into fists as I took a deep breath, watching as the beast launched at me.

 _I was in the coliseum..._

 _ **Again...**_

 **A/N: So that was the first chapter! Tell me what you think! Thanks, and I'll see ya next time! I... um... still don't have a signoff... uh, bai!**


	2. Chapter 2

Pidge carefully crept on board of the Galra ship with the rest of the paladins, turning the green lion's camouflage feature on. They all climbed off.

"Alright, Hunk and Pidge, look for the control room," Shiro decided, his voice travelling to the paladin's helmets, "Keith, Lance, and I, will start looking around."

Hunk and Pidge nodded, quietly walking off in search of the control room.

"So where we headed first?" Lance said, looking at the black paladin.

Shiro looked thoughtful, glancing at the two of them. Their helmets suddenly lit up with the sound of Hunk's voice.

"Hey, we found the control room. Pidge is working on hacking into their system. She'll send you a map or something."

On queue, a small digital map appeared on screen and Pidge began speaking.

"I'm in! Alright, the first floor is just simple drones, nothing important. The second floor seems to have guards and a prison, so that's where mainly everyone will be. But then there's a third floor- I can't tell what's up there. You'll have to be careful."

"Got it, thanks Pidge," Keith said, turning to Shiro, "What's the plan?"

"Alright, let's head to the prison first. We'll free as many as possible and send them away in the escape pods with coordinates to the castle. After that, we can go to the third floor and find out what's up there." Shiro decided, beginning to sneak away as the two boys followed, dodging drones.

 **(Y/n)'s P.O.V**

The monstrosity hit me like a truck and I flew back into a wall, crying out. I stood up again and dusted myself off, looking up in horror as the Galra beast lifted a weapon between a sword and laser gun, firing at me as I lept to the side. I felt the blast shoot right by my head and my eyes widened in terror, knowing I had only narrowly dodged it. I rolled and stood again, running towards them.

"Go Laser Blade!" The majority of the audience yelled.

 _That must be it's... his... her...? Whatever, name._

"Go new champion!" I heard a few prisoner's weakly call under the roar of the opposing audience, and continued running, my robotic leg powering me faster.

 _Why do they call me that...?_

Laser Blade lifted it's massive sword as I approached, charging it up with a blast and slamming it down on me. I shrieked in horror and planted my Galra tech foot, dodging the blade but still thrown back by the lasers. I flew back and skidded across the ground, bleeding as I dug my robotic hand into the ground to stop myself from going further. The druids seemed to remove another part of my body every time I defeated one of their winning gladiators. I had defeated two of them so far, hence the robotic arm and leg.

 _I hate this place..._

I stood up and cracked my neck.

 _I hate these damn Galra..._

I noticed that Laser Blade had their blade stuck in the ground from missing me, and smirked as I began running towards it again.

"Now you get to know what it feels like, bitch!" I screamed, my sanity starting to slip as I raised my arm to strike what I hoped would be the final blow.

 _You deserve everything that you're about to feel..._

 **A collective gasp rang throughout the crowd.**

 **A/N: Aaaaaand scene! Enjoying the cliffhangers? Hehe, bai!**


	3. Chapter 3

Shiro, Keith, and Lance ran quietly down the hallway and turned a corner, skidding to a stop as a drone turned to them. Shiro readied his prosthetic Galra arm, Lance's bayard formed to his gun, and Keith's bayard formed to his sword, all of them ready to fight.

"We've been spotted, let's take out this thing before the Galra become aware of our presence!" Shiro said urgently, starting to move at the drone.

"Wait don't attack, that one's mine!" Pidge called out desperately, sighing in relief as Shiro stopped. "I reprogrammed it so that it can help you break into the prison."

"Oh, nice one." Shiro smiled, reaching the prison as the drone began scanning cells and opening them, releasing aliens.

Shiro assisted in opening the prison cells while Keith led aliens to escape pods, and Lance 'calmed', more like flirted, with the prisoners. Specifically the girls.

They regrouped after freeing everyone they could find, all of the guards knocked out and locked in cells.

"Everyone okay?" Shiro said, checking on the other paladins.

Lance and Keith nodded, humming affirmatively.

"All good over here!" Hunk spoke through their helmets.

"Yep," Pidge agreed.

"Good, come on Keith, Lance. Let's check out that third floor."

They reached the third floor and began walking, hearing faint screaming.

"What the hell is that?!" Keith exclaimed, starting to run in the direction of the noise with Shiro and Lance, dodging or knocking out guards.

They arrived in the prisoner waiting room for the coliseum and Shiro froze, his eyes widened in shock and fear as he breathed heavily.

"Shiro? Shiro?!" Lance waved his hand in front of Shiro's face, trying to get his attention as Keith fought the guards. "Shiro!" He began helping Keith fight the guards, protecting Shiro. They knocked out the guards, trying to get Shiro's attention. "Shiro?!" Keith and Lance called, shaking him slightly.

An alien prisoner walked up to the trio, looking at Shiro with awe.

"The champion... he's back..." They muttered, "Has he come for the new champion?"

"The champion? You mean Shiro?" Lance looked at them confused.

"Yes, he must be remembering..."

"What?" Lance turned back to Shiro, "SHIRO!"

Shiro's P.O.V

 _I could remember it all..._

 _So much blood..._

 _The fighting, the screaming..._

 _"Champion! Champion!"_

 _Matt..._

 _Where is he...?_

 _My arm being cut off while I was conscious..._

 _No, stop..._

 _STOP!_

"SHIRO!" Everyone yelling my name through my helmet snapped me out of my daze and I shook my head.

"Sorry, what is it?" I responded, blinking. I heard them all sigh in relief.

"You haven't been doing anything! We've been calling your name but you wouldn't respond!" Lance said, shaking my shoulders slightly.

"Sorry, let's just, focus on the mission." I smiled reassuringly.

 _I have to stay strong for my team._

Third Person P.O.V

Keith looked at Shiro with concern and sighed.

"Now you get to know what it feels like, bitch!" They all heard someone scream, and ran to the entryway into the coliseum ring, looking at the scene before them in shock.

"Who is that?!" Lance exclaimed, hefting his blaster gun slightly.

"We have to help them!" Shiro decided firmly.

"They don't seem to need help at the moment. We can't expose ourselves like that." Keith said, feeling weird to have to remind Shiro of the mission.

Shiro sighed and nodded, recollecting himself. "Right, thanks Keith."

Keith nodded, and they watched as the two fought in the coliseum, reluctantly staying put.

(Y/n)'s P.O.V

Laser Blade ripped their sword blaster out of the ground as I reached them, and I managed to slice their shoulder as they hit me upwards brutally with the weapon, sending me flying upwards. I heard the crowd reach pitch fever and I flipped in the air, landing on my feet in a slight crouch. I heard and felt heavy footsteps running towards me before I could recover. I flung my prosthetic Galra arm up in defense and felt the sword-gun slam on it, metal grinding against metal. The force knocked me down to my knees and I strained under the effort, groaning. I looked up, seeing the lasers starting to charge up. My eyes widened and began to well with tears as I realized I wasn't winning this battle. It was over.

 _Guess this is the end... heh, the 'new champion' meets her tragic end..._

I closed my eyes as tears started to slide down my face, seeing the glimpse of a laser.

A/N: I just felt like writing a super long chapter. Hehe, enjoy the cliffhanger again? Are you dead? Who knows! See ya next time! Um, bai!


	4. Chapter 4

Third Person P.O.V

Keith's eyes widened as the Galra gladiator trapped the stranger under the unbearable weight of their weapon, readying his bayard as the monster's blade-gun began to charge up.

"They're in trouble! We have to fight," Keith stated instinctively.

Lance nodded in agreement, hefting his blaster gun and placing his finger on the trigger as he turned to the black paladin for confirmation, "Shiro?"

Shiro nodded, and spoke through his helmet to the others, "Pidge and Hunk, have the green lion ready to leave. We're going to have to fight our way out."

"Got it!" Pidge and Hunk replied back.

The leader of the paladins now turned back to Keith and Lance quickly, his prosthetic arm beginning to glow as he readied himself to fight, "Let's go."

(Y/n)'s P.O.V

The crowd let out a massive gasp, and I heard several guards yelling for backup. I opened my eyes in confusion, feeling no pain, and looked up in shock as a blue laser slammed into Laser Blade's chest, throwing it back slightly. I quickly flicked away my tears, now slightly embarrassed, and shook my head to make sure what I was seeing was real. My eyes widened slightly as three figures rushed forward at the Galra gladiator; one in blue armor firing a laser gun rapidly, one in red armor attacking intensely with a sword, and another in black armor with a glowing Galra tech arm slashing skillfully. I stared at the man in black armor and glanced down at my own Galra arm and leg prosthetics.

 _He's just like me... but can I do that...?_

I snapped out of my thoughts and stood up, looking at the three fighting for me.

 _Who are they? That doesn't matter now, I have to help..._

I snuck around the edge of the arena until I was behind all of them, running silently and then using my robotic leg to catapult myself onto Laser Blade's back, pulling out a dagger I had stolen from a guard and stabbing into their back to climb further up the beast. The gladiator growled and staggered forward, trying to ward off the laser bullets shot by the one in blue armor with one arm while he swung his weapon desperately in an attempt to wound the red or black armored figures slashing at him. It simultaneously thrashed, trying to dislodge me from it's back, and I smirked as I reached it's head.

"For as big of a head you've got, it must be hollow. To believe you'd defeated me? I don't think so." I said with a smirk, promptly plunging the dagger into it's head.

The Galra gladiator grunted in pain and shock, swaying a few times before falling face first into the ground, dead. I jumped off it as it fell, landing in a slight crouch on my feet, then wiped off the purplish black blood of the deceased Galra fighter, turning to the three armored figures who looked at me with surprise.

Third Person P.O.V

The three paladins looked at the figure, guessing they were female. Unlike the other prisoners, they wore a black and purple bodysuit, and had a black and purple helmet on that covered their head.

Shiro stepped forward, "We're here to help."

A small gasp came from the disguised figure and they stepped forward as well, gesturing their hands slightly as if they were about to say something, then they suddenly doubled over, grasping their side with a cry of pain. Shiro instantly kneeled down beside them as Lance and Keith stepped forward to see what had happened. Shiro tried to grab the mysterious person to see what was wrong but the flinched away.

"Please, I won't hurt you. We only want to help."

The stranger nodded hesitantly and allowed Shiro to check over them. Shiro turned them some and gasped. Keith and Lance crouched beside him and gasped also, seeing a massive wound in their side, accompanied by many smaller wounds and bruises. Sirens suddenly began to blare and Galra soldiers began marching in. Keith and Lance stood up, Lance beginning to shoot the guards as Keith got into a ready fighting position.

"This would be our queue to leave!" Keith declared loudly over the gunfire.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but for once I agree with mullet head!" Lance yelled in agreement.

Shiro nodded and picked up the figure bridal style carefully, who groaned in pain and suddenly fell limp in his arms.

"Let's hurry!" Shiro said, and they all began running back to the green lion.

"Pidge, Hunk, is the green lion ready?" The black paladin asked, running quickly with the surprisingly light person in his arms.

"We're ready!" Pidge responded through her helmet.

"Good," Shiro said, "because we're coming in hot with a guest!"

The green lion's jaws opened to let the paladins in, then closed behind them, purple laser bullets firing at them. All of the paladins let out a sigh of relief as Pidge piloted the lion off of the Galra ship, flying through a wormhole back to the castle ship.

"Who's that?" Hunk asked as they made their way back.

"We don't know," Shiro answered, "but maybe we can get some answers if we get them to a healing pod in time, which I'm afraid they don't have very much of."

A/N: I'M SO SO SO SO SO INFINITELY SORRY! I've been super busy and sick and haven't been able to get a chapter out! But I'm back now, so I hope you all enjoy this super long chapter! Bai!


	5. Chapter 5

Third Person P.O.V

Their eyes all widened slightly at their leader's grim statement as the wormhole closed behind them. Pidge pressed forward on the handles controlling her lion, speeding it up and landing quickly. The Green Lion's jaws opened and they all rushed out, breaking into a steady jog and heading straight to the infirmary. Shiro quickly placed the unconscious figure into a healing pod, the capsule sealing them inside and beginning the process of bringing the battered lifeform back to good health.

Shiro let out a sigh, turning back to his team, "Now we just have to wait and see."

Allura and Coran walked in a moment later, Coran twisting his mustache per usual.

"Good job paladins! The escape pod containing the prisoners is entering our hanger safely as we speak," Coran said joyfully.

Allura nodded, "Yes, you all did wonderful," she noticed the black and purple suited figure in a healing pod, noticing the Galra insignia on their helmet, "Who is that? They do not look like a prisoner," she said skeptically.

"Allura does have a point," Pidge stated, turning to Shiro, Lance, and Keith, "you never told us who they are."

Hunk seemed to realize as well, turning to the black, red, and blue paladins quickly, "Wait, you said you don't know who they are. Does that mean they could totally be a Galra waiting to burst out of this healing pod any second and kill us all?!" he exclaimed, totally paranoid.

"We found them in some arena of sorts, fighting against a massive Galra. They were in a compromised situation so we stepped in," Keith retaliated.

Shiro nodded, "They were in danger and hurt. We couldn't leave them."

"Besides~" Lance began flirtatiously, "I help all damsels in distress."

The paladins, Allura, and Coran all sweatdropped besides Lance.

"Lance, we don't even know their gender..." Keith said judgmentally, his facial expression reflecting 'what even'.

"Y-yeah, well, you don't even know your gender!" Lance argued, slightly flustered.

"I'm a boy," Keith responded, looking at Lance with shock.

Pidge restrained her laughter, letting out a few muffled snickers, and Shiro facepalmed while Hunk watched them in confusion. Allura listened to them, a tick mark appearing while Coran twirled his mustache.

Lance started to bicker again, but Shiro cut him off.

"That's enough you two." Shiro interrupted, turning to Allura, "The point is, we don't know who they," he gestured to the figure in the healing pod. "are. We're hoping to figure that out when they wake up."

"If they wake up," Coran corrected, still cheerful as he checked their vitals on the holographic screen, "they are in very bad condition."

Allura sighed, "Very well. We'll wait for them to wake up. For now we have the prisoners to deal with."

They all nodded and followed Allura, heading for the escape pod containing the prisoners.

 _~A Few Days Later...~_

Lance's P.O.V

We all stood in the infirmary, watching the unmoving and mysterious figure in the pod. Keith stepped forward.

"Oh, c'mon, it's been days! Can't we just take them out of the healing pod already?" he exclaimed, raising a hand to stop the healing process. Allura quickly grabbed his wrist, stopping him from clicking the holographic controls.

"No," she said sternly, "we have to make sure they are fully healed. It is part of the paladin code. We can't take them out just because we are impatient." Keith sighed and stepped back, turning around.

"Whatever. Tell me when that happens, if it ever does," he grumbled, starting to walk away. A sudden hissing sound erupted from the pod as the shield covering the prone figure turned to mist. I lunged towards the pod as the stranger gasped and fell forward, catching them easily.

(Y/n)'s P.O.V

 _"Hissssss..."_

The sudden noise flooded my ears and I opened my eyes, gasping as my knees buckled. I collapsed forward out of the strange machine, closing my eyes and tensing for impact that never came. I cautiously peeked open my eyes, looking up at the strange male holding me. He had neatly trimmed brown hair, and light brown skin. His deep blue eyes shone down at me flirtatiously, and he looked oddly...

 _Human...? Impossible..._

I looked around the room, noticing others looking at me as well. There was a boy with tan skin and purple eyes that showed surprise and suspicion, with a black-haired mullet. He seemed to have a very guarded personality. My eyes searched the room again and fell upon a short... boy? Girl? They looked more like a girl trying to be a boy, but my guess was they had a reason for keeping their gender a secret, so I'll stay quiet. They had messy, ginger/brown hair and amber/gold eyes with rounded glasses that looked at me curiously, full of excitement. Next, I saw a chubby male who had black/dark brown hair, bangs falling over an orange bandana wrapped around his head. His dark brown eyes reflected kindness, but also surprise and fear. A tall, muscled man with tanned skin and a scar across his nose was among those watching me, his brown eyes showing surprise. His hair was hard to describe, like a black buzz cut on top and both sides shaved, with a white tuft at the front. He held himself confidently, with the look of a leader. I then noticed his Galra prosthetic arm, and my eyes widened.

"I... It's you... the ones who saved me in the coliseum..." I said, my voice coming out monotoned and almost robotic from the helmet I wore. Stupid helmet.

An elegant female stepped forward and nodded. "These are the paladins of Voltron, and I am princess Allura of Altea. Welcome to the Castle of Lions." Her hair was long and wavy, colored pure white in a distinct contrast to her brown skin. Her eyes were a bright blue and reflected composure and calmness, the black pupils holding a spot of purple. There were pink markings under her eyes, almost the shape of an upside down arrowhead, and she had pointed ears with bright purple earrings floating under them. Another male stepped forward, also looking royal.

"I am Coran, also from Altea," he declared cheerfully. His eyes were baby blue/periwinkle with a spot of purple in the black pupils, showing joy, and his ginger hair was almost a mullet, but loosely slicked down on top, a curl of hair springing out at his forehead. Under his eyes were bright cyan markings, his skin tan and ears pointed. He also sported a large ginger moustache, which he twisted the ends of. The male with the scar across his nose stepped forward.

"I'm Shiro, paladin of the black lion," he said, then gestured to his teammates. The one with the mullet stepped forward.

"Keith," he stated hesitantly, "paladin of the red lion." The short one with glasses came next.

"I'm Pidge!" she exclaimed, looking as if she were holding back a million questions, "Paladin of the green lion." The chubby, broad-shouldered boy stepped forward a bit.

"Hey... I'm Hunk. The paladin of the yellow lion," he laughed nervously, "You're not going to kill us right?"

I looked at him, bewildered, and shook my head in a signal of no.

He sighed in relief. The one holding me looked down at me.

"Hello there~" he said flirtatiously, "call me the man of your dreams~" The rest of them groaned.

"That's Lance," Shiro said, exasperated, "he pilots the blue lion."

"Now, who are you~? Mind if I take a peek~?" Lance cooed, grabbing my helmet and beginning to remove it.

My eyes widened and I slapped his hand away, on my feet and grabbing him in a fierce headlock within moments.

"Don't remove my helmet!" I yelled, tightening my grip on his throat slightly.

"Ow, ow, ow! Fine...!" Lance choked out, surprised, and I hesitantly released him, leaving him gasping for breath on the ground.

His teammates looked at him with concern, then back at me with shock. I simply shrugged, adjusting my helmet.

"I prefer to reveal myself on my own terms," I stated simply, and they all sighed at Lance's stupidity.

"We apologize," Shiro mediated cautiously, "what Lance did was rash and we should have taken more caution. However, he did bring up a good point. Who are you?"

I sighed, drawing myself up to full height and placing my fist across my chest in a Galra salute. "I am prisoner A-57012E84K of the Galra Empire, also known as Weaponized Project Cyanizak." Lance coughed and stood up, recovered from my momentary attack.

"Uhhh... your actual name?" he asked. I tilted my head, not comprehending the question.

"That is my name," I replied, confused.

A/N: I finally finished Chapter 5! And it's longer than usual, be proud of me! Until next time, bai! :3


	6. Chapter 6

**Keith's P.O.V.**

 _They can't remember their own name? Odd..._

My train of thought was broken by Hunk's nervous laugh.

"W-what do you mean that's your name?" he stuttered, "Pretty weird name."

"It's all I can remember ever being called. That, and 'new champion'," the stranger, Weaponized Project Cyanizak, responded.

 _We really need something better to call them._

"Well, it is possible that the Galra altered or removed their memory," Pidge piped up, adjusting her glasses, "We know they would do that based on what Shiro has been through. No offense."

"None taken," Shiro responded, shrugging, "I'm just starting to regain my memory of what happened on that ship, and I was only there for a year. We don't know who this is or how long they were there, it's highly possible that they could have severe amnesia. It's hard to keep track of time while being a prisoner."

"I don't know, their story seems more like a cover to me," I interrupted. I heard a huff and looked over to see the helmeted figure leaning against the wall for support after exiting the healing pod, their arms crossed.

"I'm still right here, you know. You don't have to talk about me like I'm not here," they announced, a hint of sarcasm to their robotically altered voice.

"Sorry," the other paladins said bashfully, but I continued.

"Oh, come on! It would just be oddly convenient that they can't remember anything and are in a fancy Galran suit and not a spy! I can't be the only one who's suspicious," I accused, narrowing my eyes at the concealed figure leaning against the wall. I saw them stiffen up slightly, legs instinctively bracing as if someone was lunging at them, head turning ever so slightly to look at me. It didn't matter that they were wearing a helmet; I could feel their eyes glaring at me through the tinted glass visor.

"Keith does actually have a point," Allura stated, agreeing with me as she took a step forward, "their clothing is different than those of the other prisoners'." The other paladins and Coran looked at Allura and I in shock.

"I thought as paladins our first mission was supposed to be to spread dip-something or whatever!" Lance exclaimed, confused by Allura's sudden change in character.

"Diplomacy?" Pidge corrected Lance.

Lance nodded, "Yeah, that!"

"While that is usually true, it's a little hard not to be suspicious in this situation. What if they're a Galra under that helmet?" Allura bickered.

"She and Keith do have a point," Coran added thoughtfully, twisting the ends of his mustache.

"Really Coran? You too?" Hunk questioned, disbelieving.

"Well, yes," Coran responded, "the more I think about it, the more it makes sense." He turned to Lance, "Don't you remember how insistent WPC, I'm using an acronym for Weaponized Project Cyanizak, okay, was on not revealing their face?"

"Obviously, they attacked me! But what does that prove?" Lance replied heatedly, "Allura did the same thing when I caught her after she woke up from her 10,000 year nap!"

"Alright! Everyone needs to calm down," Shiro intercepted calmly, "arguing won't get us anywhere. Allura, I understand that you don't trust the Galra. But we don't even know who or what this person is, you can't go around assuming they're an enemy just because they want some privacy. Prisoners of Zarkon go through awful ordeals, I know this. You have to give them some time to adjust that they are no longer in constant danger and can trust us."

"Then why are they making such a big deal of not taking off their helmet! What does it matter?!" I said, losing my temper.

"IS THAT REALLY WHAT THE PROBLEM IS?!" The mysterious person still leaning against the wall suddenly burst out angrily, yelling. My eyes widened and I took a step back, noticing that the other paladins and Allura and Coran did the same . "YOU'RE ALL ARGUING JUST BECAUSE I WON'T TAKE OFF A DAMN HELMET?!" I tensed up, grabbing my bayard. They noticed and growled slightly.

"For a bunch of humans, you seem to lack humanity," they said, in a normal tone of voice, but their rage still dripped from every word.

"Oh no, I'm sorry," they corrected, letting out a humorless chuckle, "It's obviously all my fault. Like always. Of course I'm not allowed to be a little insecure after being trapped in a tortuous ship for who knows how long. I apologize, I stopped counting after I reached 5 years." We all didn't bother trying to stop them, stunned into silence. They pushed themselves off the wall, stumbling a bit before taking a few steps forward towards us. Towards me. I got that eerie feeling again that they were staring directly at me again, despite the fact that their eyes were concealed. Finally someone spoke. It was Pidge.

"You... you were there for over 5 years?" she nearly whispered, eyes wide with disbelief. Their hard gaze finally slid off of me to acknowledge Pidge, and I instantly let out an inward sigh of relief. The stranger nodded.

"I was trapped there for at least 5 years, left to be tortured, experimented on, and to use as a toy," they replied, looking at the entire team, "thank you for rescuing me, but I would appreciate if you stopped treating me like a mutt of the Galra Empire. I don't want pity, I don't want hostility. All I ask for is some decency and respect. I don't expect you to trust me, because I can tell you this isn't some fairytale and I sure as hell don't trust any of you yet, even if you did save me. As for those of you who may or may not believe my story, but still act kindly towards me" they glanced at Shiro, Hunk, Pidge, and Lance, "thank you. And as for those of you who are obviously suspicious about me and not trying to conceal it," their eyes quickly scanned over Allura, Coran, and I, stopping on me with a glare that I could feel, "put yourself in my position and she how you would feel." Then, in a move that none of us could have predicted, they quickly stepped forward, shoving me against the wall. They were a little shorter than me, but strong as hell. I dropped my bayard, defenseless.

"Hey! What the-!" I yelled, startled by the sudden attack as I struggled against their hold.

 _What the hell are they doing?!_

"You thought I was a Galran spy?" They whispered so that only I could hear, the other paladins turning quickly to look at us with confusion and worry, "Well here's proof that I'm not, dumbass." They tapped the side of their helmet, the visor that covered their eyes evaporating.

 **What I saw next, shocked me.**

 **A/N: I am so so so sorry! I haven't uploaded in like a month and have literally no excuse other than school quiznaking sucks. I'll try and update more (no promises don't trust me). But, as usual, enjoy this chapter ending on a cliffhanger. Also, please comment your vote on my Important A/N chapter! Until next time, Bai My Lions! :3**


	7. Chapter 7

Keith's P.O.V.

Dull, (E/C) eyes stared into mine with a challenging look as I stared back in complete shock, my own eyes wide as I tried to study what I could see as fast as possible. I managed to catch a glimpse at Weaponized Project Cyanizak's pale skin through the open visor of the helmet, simultaneously noticing the heavy dark circles under their eyes.

 _They look... no way..._

Just as quickly as the visor had evaporated it materialized, once again obscuring any of their face to me. They then released me, turning away sharply as I picked up my bayard, walking back to stand with the rest of the group. They began walking away, glancing back over their shoulder at me.

"Hope that gave you some insight, Keith. Think about it," they said, monotone as usual, before leaving the room. I stared after them, still a bit shocked as I turned to look at my teammates, who were giving me a questioning look.

(Y/n)'s P.O.V.

I promptly walked out of the room after telling Keith off. I couldn't help but feel a little proud of myself for proving him wrong. I kept wandering down the hallways, making a few random turns as I thought, unknowingly stopping in front of a door as I sighed.

 _No, I shouldn't be proud. Revealing part of my face was stupid of me. Especially since it was just to prove a point..._

My train of thought was broken by the door in front of me automatically sliding open, and I jumped a bit, startled, before hesitantly walking in. I looked around the spacious white room curiously, noticing an observation deck higher up, a weapon rack on one wall, and some sort of trapdoor in the ceiling. Then I realized, instantly facepalming.

 _Wow, how smart of me. To stomp off into a castle without even knowing where I'm going. Great, I'm lost..._

"What is this place?" I asked no one in particular, voicing some of my thoughts aloud.

"Level eight activated," A robotic voice sounded suddenly, the hatch in the ceiling opening as some kind of robot fighter dropped down, holding a spear.

"What the-? Hey, I said," the gladiator bot charged at me quickly, causing me to jump out of the way, dodging desperately as I spoke, "place not eight! They- stop it- don't even rhyme!"

I blocked a hit from the spear with my prosthetic arm, looking at the robot and freezing up, eyes wide as my surroundings seemed to flicker between the white room and the dark hallways from the Galra ship. The robot in front of me morphed into a sentry running at me and my breath hitched in my throat. I was suddenly snapped out of the hallucination, more like flashback, when the handle of the gladiator bot's spear slammed into my side, throwing me against the wall. I hissed in pain, falling to the floor in a crouch.

 _That's definitely going to leave a bruise... lovely._

I rolled to the side as the gladiator bot jabbed their spear at the wall next to me, the robot standing over me. I growled, instincts kicking in as I lunged forward before I could be hit with the spear again, kicking off the wall and locking the gladiator's leg in a tight grip, my momentum continuing to carry me forward and pull the robot to the floor behind me. I quickly turned and rolled forward onto my knees, straddling the robot's back with it's leg still in my grasp, immobilizing it. The gladiator bot slashed at me with it's spear blindly, forcing me to release it and roll away into an awkward cartwheel in order to land on my feet facing it, fists in front of me in a fighting stance. The robot quickly recovered, jumping back up to stand before charging at me again.

 _I see... you want this to be a fight between mecha, huh? Well, I suppose I'll give you that._

I turned around, running away from the gladiator bot until I reached a wall, powering up my prosthetic leg to jump higher and backflip off the wall, landing smoothly on the robot's shoulders in a sitting position. The gladiator bot turned it's head as much as possible, stabbing at me with the spear and thrashing to try and dislodge me. I grabbed the spear with my prosthetic arm and leaned backwards forcefully, my legs locked around the robot's neck as I hung upside down, pulling the spear with me and breaking the metal arm out of place as I used the gladiator bot's own spear to stab it through the back. The robot fizzled and stopped moving, falling backwards. I quickly released my legs from it's shoulders, falling onto my hands into a fluent backward handspring, landing on my feet and watching as the gladiator bot disintegrated into light.

"Do you wish to begin level 9?" The robotic voice from earlier questioned suddenly and I looked up tiredly, eyes wide.

"Hell no...!" I managed to breathe out desperately.

"Level 9 cancelled." The robotic voice responded, and I sighed in relief.

 _At least here I get to choose whether I continue fighting or not..._

I panted heavily, looking around cautiously before taking off my helmet, letting out my long, (H/C) and white hair. I kept my head down before jogging over to a wall, sitting under the observation deck and setting my helmet down beside me as I wiped the sweat from my forehead. I combed my fingers through my long, matted hair.

 _It's really long and messy... maybe I should cut it._

I sighed, pulling my knees to my chest and grasping my head in my hands, pressing on my temples as I tried not to think of how the room kept flickering into the Galra ship hallways.

 _It's not real... No, I'm here now, the Galra can't get me anymore... I've been so rude to my saviors though... I should apologize later..._

I shut my eyes tightly, hiding my face in my knees.

 _Later..._

Hunk's P.O.V.

I looked at Keith with a mixture of worry, shock, and curiosity. Keith seemed stunned as he looked at me and everyone else, as if he was trying to process what had just happened. Shiro placed a hand on his shoulder, looking at Keith with concern.

"What exactly just happened?" Shiro asked Keith gently.

Lance had his arms crossed, a small smirk playing on his face as he leaned to one side, "What? Did they kiss you or something?" Keith blushed slightly, startled by the question.

 _Wait holy crow? Keith is blushing?_

"No! They did not kiss me, Lance!" Keith snapped, a little embarrassed.

"What~? I'm just saying, that looked a lot to me like the moment in the romance novels right before two characters fu-" Lance started, only to be cut off by Shiro.

"Language, Lance!" Shiro reprimanded sternly, giving Lance his 'dad look'.

"My point is," Keith said, rolling his eyes at Lance, "they were trying to prove a point."

"And what point was that?" Pidge asked inquisitively.

"That they're not a Galran spy," Keith responded.

"And how did they intend to prove that by shoving you against a wall?" Allura questioned, sounding doubtful.

"I think... I think they only wanted me to see," Keith answered, eyebrows furrowed.

"See what, exactly?" Coran interrogated, twirling his mustache.

"They wanted me to know that they weren't Galra. It worked, they're... they're definitely not Galra." Keith stated, as if he had realized something.

"How do you know? Wait... are you saying that they showed you their face?!" I asked, incredulous.

"They removed the visor of their helmet so I could see their eyes." Keith responded, nodding a bit.

"Really? What'd they look like? From what you could see I mean. Are they Galra? An alien?" Pidge questioned excitedly.

"Well they... from what I could see, they looked..." Keith answered hesitantly, as if he was struggling to believe something.

"They looked like what?" Pidge asked again, seemingly dying for an answer.

A/N: And that's Chapter 7 for you! I'm super sorry I took so long to write it, I had massive Writer's Block and just got over it, not to mention I've been busy with lacrosse tournaments. I tried to make this chapter decently long, and enjoy the cliffhanger. I'm pretty sure Pidge is most of you right now... muahahaha. Oh, and remember to vote in the comments on IMPORTANT A/N 2! Until next time, bai My Lions! :3


	8. Chapter 8

Pidge's P.O.V.

I was practically hopping from foot to foot waiting for Keith to answer my question. The sense of build-up was great and all, but I really wished Keith would be as straightforward as he usually is right now. I wanted a response, not a dramatic storytelling.

Keith looked around at us and sighed, speaking as if he didn't believe it himself, "They... looked human." Everything went silent for a moment.

Hunk was the first to awkwardly break the silence with an unintelligible, "Uhhh... _what?"_ Lance nodded, leaning against the larger boy's shoulder as he rested his hips to one side.

"How does that even make sense?" Lance questioned, agreeing with Hunk's confusion, "I thought the Kerberos mission was the first to go that far from Earth and disappear?" I stepped forward, adjusting my glasses.

"That's correct. Furthermore, didn't Weaponized Project Cyanizak say they've been on the Galra ship for at least five years? Shiro and the Holts were only missing for a year. There's no way they could be from Earth," I stated, adding validity to the point. I noticed Shiro's hand flex slightly, giving Keith's shoulder a light, reassuring squeeze.

"Keith, you know I trust your judgment," there was the slightest pause in Shiro's words that made me assume there was about to be a catch, "but-"

 _There it is._

"-the possibility of them being human is just about impossible." I smirked slightly at my accurate guess before turning my attention back to the conversation. Keith threw his hands up in frustration.

"So? The possibility of us all ending up light years away from Earth within one day and flying giant metal lions is just about impossible too!" he ranted, "But guess what? _That happened._ Why should another human in space before us be impossible?"

I spoke up, trying to slow down his temper, "Well, say theoretically another human _did_ somehow end up far away from Earth at least 5 years before us. You only saw their eyes briefly, Keith. I'm sure there are plenty of aliens with humanoid eyes. Just look at the Alteans, and the Arusians. Of course they're not the same, but they're similar." Keith crossed his arms, stubborn as ever.

"I know what I saw!" he exhaled and looked away, "Whatever." We all shared a look, glancing at Keith.

"Speaking of WPC," Coran piped up, breaking the heavy silence with his cheery voice, "would any of us happen to know where they've gone?"

"Didn't they storm out after pushing Keith against the wall?" Lance asked, snickering a bit at the last part. Keith rolled his eyes.

"There are a million better ways to phrase that," Keith complained, before smirking a bit, "not that you could've thought of more than one."

"Hey!" Lance retaliated, stepping closer to Keith aggressively, "Well I-!" I sweatdropped.

 _Not again..._

Shiro pushed the two arguing boys apart gently.

 _Thank Shiro!_

"Now is not the time, you two," he mediated before turning back to the more important matter at hand, "We should go look for Cyanizak."

"Why would we need to- oh," Hunk started, cutting himself off as he realized why. I facepalmed.

"They don't know their way around the castle and are probably lost. Coran and I will check the cameras while you paladins search," Allura ordered.

(Y/N)'s P.O.V.

My breathing calmed down after a while, and I had been able to push the hallucinations of the Galran ship out of my head.

For now. I knew they would come back later.

I pushed myself up using the wall of the training room, or that was my guess to what it was used for, at least. Now standing, I grabbed my helmet off the floor and slid it back on my head, tucking my unkempt hair in. I rolled my shoulders back, my muscles now tight from the exercise. I grimaced in discomfort, sighing.

 _Lovely... I guess I could stretch. That sounds great right about now._

I placed my hands against the wall and put my robotic leg forward, my body lowered and knee bent at about a 90 degree angle. I then placed my other leg back in a lunge position, leaning forward onto my Galra tech leg and groaning softly, feeling a satisfying pulling sensation in the calf of my normal leg. I held that position for about 15 seconds before leaning back, stretching my quadricep. I failed to hear the door on the opposite side of the room open, relieving the tension from my legs. That relaxed pleasure was suddenly interrupted when I heard someone wolf whistle behind me. I instantly spun around, now in a fighting position, fists held in front of me in a defensive position. I tensed to attack, only to see...

 _Oh. Lance._

I rolled my eyes and dropped my fists, loosening my posture slightly, but still wary.

"Hey~," Lance started flirtatiously, a (failed) suave smirk on his face, "Don't look so disappointed~! I saw you stretching, and I must say, you have a _really_ nice as-"

I growled, "Lance I quiznaking swear if you finish that sentence..."

Lance panicked, dropping the flirtatious grin and replacing it with a nervous smile.

"Uh, I was gonna say... asset for fighting! Yeah!" he rephrased his original statement, lying awkwardly. I rolled my eyes behind my helmet visor.

"How did you even know I was fighting?" I questioned, suspicious.

"Um, because we're standing on the training deck?" Lance answered, a bit confused and unsure.

I huffed, "Fine, I'll let it slide. What're you doing here?"

"Oh," Lance lit up again, "since you don't know your way around the castle but just walked off, we kind of figured you got lost and split up looking for you." I nodded, a bit embarrassed.

"Oh... uh, thanks?" I said, but it ended up sounding more like a question. I couldn't remember the last time I had actually been appreciative of something nice another person had done for me. I couldn't remember that last time another person had done something nice for me either.

Lance nodded, "You're welcome!" He pulled a small device out of his pocket and clicked something before speaking into it.

 _It must be some sort of communicator._

"Hey, guys! I found Cyanizak!" he exclaimed. I looked at him in confusion.

 _They've nicknamed me?_

I heard the static voice of Shiro respond through the small device, "Great job, Lance! Let's all meet up in the dining room, they probably need to get some food." At the mention of food my stomach growled and I looked at Lance, shrugging slightly.

Lance chuckled and spoke into the device again, "We're on our way!" He then stuffed the communicator back in his pocket, holding his arm out to me with a cheesy smile, "M'lady~?" I scoffed, walking past him and into the hallway, the automatic door opening for me.

"Nope." I stated simply, beginning to walk off. I heard Lance jog after me, laughing slightly.

"Other way," he directed, clearly amused. I groaned and turned around, crossing my arms.

"Fine," I replied, annoyed, "you lead."

He smiled brightly, leading me in the direction of the dining room, turning to check that I was following. Which I was.

...

Reluctantly, of course.

A/N: I finally finished Chapter 8! Haha... I haven't updated in literal _months_. Sorry this chapter wasn't too eventful, I wanted to slow things down a bit to make it a bit more realistic. I might write another A/N soon to explain some things, such as at what point are they in the series right now relatively, etc.. I make absolutely no promises though, seeing as I'm an extreme procrastinator. Until next time, Bai My Lions! :3


	9. Chapter 9

**(Y/n)'s P.O.V.**

Lance and I arrived in the dining room a few doboshes later, him leading me as I trailed behind with my arms crossed. Everyone else was already seated, and Lance instantly walked to what seemed to be where he routinely sat. Feeling out of place, I stood in the doorway awkwardly, my arms still crossed as I tightened my grip on both limbs. I felt everyone staring at me and I felt even more like an outsider suddenly. Shiro turned in his seat and sent me a warm smile before scooting his seat over slightly and pulling another hovering chair beside him.

"You can sit next to me, Cyanizak," he said kindly, and my eyes widened slightly at the simple gesture behind my helmet for a moment before I let out a soft exhale, walking over and taking a seat next to Shiro.

 _Why are all these people so nice?_

"Thanks," I murmured, still somewhat apprehensive. I sat on the edge of the seat stiffly, my feet planted an even distance on the ground and shoulders squared, my posture perfectly straight and my arms tensed at my sides as I kept my head bowed slightly. Lance took notice of my uncomfortably pristine way of sitting and laughed a little bit. I raised my head to look at him, confused. He was slouching on the back of his seat with an arm propped up, looking completely carefree.

"Geez Cyanizak, chill. You don't have to sit like you're about to book it 24/7," he stated, waving a hand in the air vaguely. I tilted my head at his strange usage of words, but didn't question their meaning. I understood what he meant for the most part.

"Oh. It was a part of my training," I stated blankly, then tried to loosen myself up, imitating Lance's slouched posture and only succeeding in looking like I was a hunchback. "Like this?" Lance shot up in his seat, offended as he stared at me with his mouth agape.

"Pah! I _do not_ sit like that!" He protested, but everyone else had already burst out into laughter at my attempt to copy the way Lance sits.

Pidge pitched in, wiping amused tears from the corners of her eyes as she snorted slightly, "I don't know Lance, that was pretty spot on!"

"Good one Cyanizak!" Hunk complemented through his laughter, patting me on the back.

"That was quite amusing," Allura added, smiling. Even Keith was laughing.

"Monkey see, monkey do," he teased, and Lance huffed, pouting while I was still trying to figure out what was so funny.

"Nice try, Cyanizak," Shiro chuckled, "but how about you just stick to whatever is most comfortable?"

I nodded and went back to my straight posture, but now I was a bit more relaxed. I wasn't on the edge of my seat anymore, my shoulders rested comfortably, and I crossed my legs loosely, resting my arms across my chest.

"Better?" Shiro asked, and I nodded again.

"Cyanizak?" Allura asked, and I turned my gaze to her, tilting my head for her to continue. "I would like to apologize to you for assuming that you were some sort of Galran spy sent to gather intel or assassinate us. It was wrong of me to accuse you of something based on my own biased opinion. I'm sorry." The table went silent.

"Yeah, me too," Keith admitted quietly, "I'm sorry. I started it." Then Coran walked in, balancing several dishes of what looked to be green goo.

"I would like to apologize as well," he pitched in as he set the plates of green goo in front of each of us, "I also made a poor decision to blame you based on unjustified - actually nonexistent - evidence. I'm sorry." I stared at them through my helmet visor incredulously, caught off guard by all the sudden apologies.

"Uh... It's fine..." I responded awkwardly, unsure what else to do. Luckily, this seemed to diffuse the tension at the table and everyone let out an unconscious sigh.

"Well!" Coran clapped his hands together, sitting next to Allura. "Everyone eat up!" Everyone else nodded and began eating. Keith scrunched up his nose slightly, swallowing a lump of the green goo and sticking his tongue out as he continued eating.

"I still don't think I'm used to this... stuff," Keith complained, shovelling another spoonful of the green goo into his mouth. Almost everyone at the table agreed, excluding Allura and Coran, who had been eating that 'stuff' the entirety of their lives, and Shiro, who happily ate the green goo over whatever had been rarely served during his time as a prisoner to the Galra.

 _Shiro eats it without hesitance, not surprising. That man has a gut of steel and a heart of gold._

Shiro began blushing lightly and everyone else stared at me, then burst out into laughter again. It was then that I realized I had said that aloud.

"Um, thanks," Shiro replied, embarrassed and humble as ever.

"Man, Cyanizak, you're a riot!" Lance exclaimed between fits of laughter.

 _A riot? I suppose I do cause a riot._

This time, luckily, I kept my thoughts to myself. Even if I hadn't everyone was laughing too hard to notice. I looked down at the plate of green goo in front of me and picked up the spoon, putting a hand to my mask. The lower half dissolved as my visor had earlier, revealing my face below my nose, mainly my mouth and jaw.

 **Shiro's P.O.V.**

I was listening to the younger paladins complain about the Altean food and I only shrugged, not minding the flavor of the mush. Cyanizak's comment caught me off-guard though.

"Shiro eats it without hesitance, not surprising. That man has a gut of steel and a heart of gold," they said, seemingly absentmindedly. I blushed at the complement. That was what they thought of me so far?

"Um, thanks," I replied bashfully as all the other paladins laughed.

"Man, Cyanizak, you're a riot!" Lance exclaimed between fits of laughter. Cyanizak seemed to ponder on this for a moment, then picked up the spoon beside their plate of untouched goo.

 _I'm surprised it took them this long to even consider eating. They must be starving. Wait, how are they supposed to eat without taking their helmet off?_

I watched as Cyanizak put a hand to the lower half of their mask, the material dissolving to reveal their mouth and jaw. My eyes widened and I glanced at the other paladins, who were still laughing and distracted, then looked back to Cyanizak, taking mental note of what features I could see. Their skin was a pale (S/c) and their lips were chapped. They scooped up some of the green goo with their spoon and put it in their mouth, swallowing the mush and removing the spoon from their mouth.

"I don't see what you're all complaining about. This is the best food I've had in years. Probably the only edible food, too," Cyanizak stated, and I was shocked to hear a feminine voice rather than the usual robotic, altered one. Their voice seemed to cut through everyone's laughter as the other paladins and the Alteans looked over, stunned. Everyone was silent for a moment as we all stared at Cyanizak in bewilderment. Cyanizak cocked their head at us, eating more of the goo quickly.

"What? Have you all never seen someone else eat this food willingly or something?" Cyanizak said sarcastically, their elbow on the table as they casually held their spoon up. Keith huffed and leaned back in his chair.

"Human," he stated quietly so that all of us could hear, and no one protested.

"Soooooo... you are a girl...?" Lance spoke up, his voice tinged with hope and a bit of oncoming flirtation. I shot a stern look to Lance, warning him, but I was curious too. Cyanizak stared at him blankly.

"Well I don't have a dick, so yeah, girl would make sense. I'm literally wearing a skintight combat suit. Did you just think I was some alien male with tits?" They asked, their voice laced with sarcasm, but then they paused. "Actually, alien male with tits isn't that unlikely. Ugh." We all deadpanned at their statement, but Lance only nodded, seemingly understanding.

"That's happened to me one too many times," he said. We all looked to Lance, unsurprised. Cyanizak quickly finished their food and restored the bottom half of their helmet.

"Is there anywhere I can wash and rest?" they asked, standing up.

"Oh, yes," Allura responded, "we have an extra room in the same hall as where the rest of the paladins sleep. All of the rooms have their own bathrooms. The extra room can be your room, if you choose to stay here. If my memory serves me correctly, your room will be next to Shiro's and across from Pidge. " Cyanizak nodded, crossing their arms.

"And where would that be?" They asked, leaning to one side. I was about to volunteer to show them, but Pidge stood up, walking over to Cyanizak.

"I can show you. C'mon," she said, and the two left the dining room. I smiled at Pidge's offer to Cyanizak.

 _ **I hope you stay with us, Cyanizak.**_

 **A/N: Hey, My Lions! I know it's been a really long time since I last updated, and I apologize for that. School has kept me busy, and I've been losing a lot of motivation. But! I won't be discontinuing the White Lion. Hopefully, I'll be posting an A/N explaining some things soon. Also, are you all okay with being called she? Or would you all still prefer they, just to keep it relatively gender neutral? Anyway, thank you all for sticking with me so far. I have noticed that I hit 17K, and I want to do something special. Until next time, Bai My Lions!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Pidge's P.O.V.**

I walked out of the dining room with Cyanizak following me by my side. There was a brief silence before she spoke.

"Thank you for showing me to the room I can stay in, Pidge," she said hesitantly, as if appreciation was foreign to her. I smiled and snickered a little bit.

"It's no problem. You're across from my room anyway. Plus, me leaving early to show you your room means that I don't have to worry about the dishes!" I revealed my ulterior motive evilly, smirking. Cyanizak turned their masked face to me and huffed half heartedly with something along the lines of amusement. There was a slightly awkward silence between us that followed.

 _I wonder? Would she be okay if I asked questions? I'm so quiznaking curious! This is ridiculous…_

"So…" I started.

 _Wow, great start. Not further awkward at all._

"What?" she glanced in my direction, waiting for me to say whatever was on my mind.

"Do you really not remember your name?" I asked, trying to slow the flow of curiosity in my brain.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped as if I was interrogating her. I quickly realized that that was exactly what she thought and I frantically waved my hands in front of my face.

"No, no! I- er, I didn't mean to ask it so suspiciously. I'm just curious as to the extent of your amnesia, that's all," I rushed to clarify myself.

"Oh," her voice had lost its defensive edge as she responded, "I really can only remember a year or two of my time on the Galra ship. Everything before that is just a blur." I cocked my head to the side.

 _That timeline doesn't match up with previous information she's given us. Strange._

"How did you know you were on the Galra ship for over five years then?" I questioned, confused and slightly suspicious. She shrugged slightly, looking away.

"Everyone said so. Spoke of it with such… such reverence and fear, too. That, and I vaguely remember marks on the wall. Tallies. There were lots and lots of them in my cell, but they just slowly started to trail off when I finally broke, I guess," she stated uncomfortably.

"Oh, sorry… I know it's a long stretch since you can't remember much, but… do you know anyone named Matt or Samuel?" I asked, hopeful. She seemed to think hard for a moment, humming quietly.

"Matt and Samuel… Matt… and Samuel…?" she murmured, tapping the area of her helmet around her temple. "Sorry, I can't say either of those names ring any bells," she finally replied. My shoulders sagged in disappointment.

 _Damn… where are you guys?_

"Do those people mean something to you?" she asked me, curiosity tinging her voice. I nodded.

"Yeah, they're family. My mom's back on Earth, but my dad, Samuel, and my brother, Matt, are somewhere out in space. They were taken by the Galra with Shiro, but he escaped," I told her, my voice quiet and heavy with worry.

"Family? I wonder if I have a family. Well, everyone obviously has a biological family, duh, but I wonder who mine is, or maybe were," she pondered. It was almost startling how casually she said it, like the fact that she didn't know didn't bother her.

"You don't sound all that concerned," I pointed out, a little dumbfounded.

Cyanizak shrugged, speaking blankly again, "I can't miss what I don't remember."

 _I guess she has a point. She doesn't remember any of the emotions tied to her family, so she can't miss them…_

"Huh…" I murmured, turning over the predicament in my head, "Don't you at least yearn to know who you are or used to be?" Cyanizak continued staring straight ahead as she walked, unbothered. There was always the possibility she was looking at me out of the corner of her eye, but with the visor of her helmet there was no way of telling.

"No. Or maybe. I'm not sure. My thoughts haven't been my own for a while. As a prisoner of the Galra, any dreams you try to cling on to will only kill you. You figuratively crush yourself," she spoke seriously, her head now turning to gaze at me sharply, "or you get physically crushed by your opponent." I stared at her with wide eyes, the weight of her life or death attitude pressing on my chest. The constant worry for my brother and father in the back of my head now nagged at me harder.

I blinked and focused on our surroundings again, only managing to respond with a small, "Oh." I noticed that we had made it to the hallway that had the doors to all of our rooms as we talked and I stopped in front of mine before going to the vacant one across the hall.

"Here. This is where you'll be staying. You can wash up and… oh. You need new clothes, don't you?" I questioned, the realization dawning on me. Cyanizak looked down at her Galran uniform before looking back at me, nodding hesitantly.

"I suppose so. While this bodysuit is completely efficient… it makes me seem as if I'm associated with the Galra. A change in wardrobe would be appreciated," she answered, sighing.

"That's probably for the best. I can ask Allura for some clothes for you later. For now, you can wash up and get some rest," I said, adjusting my glasses and smiling softly. Cyanizak nodded again.

"Thank you, Pidge," she stated awkwardly, turning her head away.

I held back a small laugh and nodded, responding, "No problem." Cyanizak walked through the door, and I watched as it closed behind her before heading to my own room.

 **(Y/n)'s P.O.V.**

After I thanked Pidge I entered what was now 'my room', looking around with awe. It's not that I had never seen a room like it or something, but the thought that the entire room and everything in it was _mine_ still shocked me. Especially the fact that I had _my_ own bed. And a _bathroom_. With actual _privacy_. _Privacy_ on the Galra ship was a sacred word, an unreachable dream that all prisoners still desperately reached for with as much eagerness as _freedom_. I walked into _my_ bathroom, the automatic door opening and closing behind me. To others, it wasn't much, but I looked at the toilet, the bath, the shower, the sink, the mirror - everything with what I could describe as something close to joy. I looked into the mirror and pulled off my helmet, letting out a gasp as I examined my face. It was shocking to think of how long I hadn't seen it. All the blades I handled while on the Galra ship were too dirtied with blood for there to be a reflection, and it wasn't like I had time to polish them off. My skin was a pale (s/c), my eyes a dull (e/c). I had heavy dark circles under my eyes, which were slightly sunken in, and my cheeks were narrow from malnourishment, my lips chapped. This was what I could see past all the grime and dry blood smeared on my face. My hair was unruly and extremely long, falling past my butt to my calves in a matted, dirty mess. It was (h/c) and streaked with thick sections of white. I tore my eyes away from the awful reflection and placed my helmet on the counter, focusing on stripping off my suit. I cringed as it peeled of my body like a second skin, bringing a layer of caked on filth with it. Again, my eyes were drawn to the mirror in shock. I was dangerously skinny, my rib cage protruding from my torso due to the tiny rations the Galra served prisoners when they were feeling 'generous'. Which was not often.

Sighing, I turned to the bath and, after some difficulty figuring out how to turn it on and control the temperature, I ran hot water, dropping my suit in and scrubbing it with a bar of what appeared to be Altean soap. I had to drain the water several times while washing it due to how much grime it clouded the water with. Once I was satisfied with the cleanliness of my suit, I hung it on a high up shelf to dry and ran the shower with warm water. I grabbed a washcloth and what I assumed was body wash, stepping into the shower. I immediately trembled and wobbled when I stepped under the gentle spray of warm water, not used to the feeling of water, warmth, or relaxation. I leaned against the wall for a moment, breathing in the steam and letting the water soak my body and dampen my tangled hair. The water that dripped off my body left puddles of filth on the floor before it drained, the colors running off my body ranging from brown to crimson to purple. I pumped out an abundant glob of the body wash into the palm of my hand, lathering my body excessively with the fragrant gel. Once I was covered in the pastel teal bubbles, I scrubbed my body with the washcloth vigorously to try and rid my skin of the baked on dirt and blood. I let the water run over my body and the washcloth again to rinse off, and repeated the process several times until my skin was actually visible and clean.

 _Now to deal with my hair…_

I let out an annoyed groan and picked up another bottle that I could only hope contained shampoo. I squeezed the clear gel into my hands, checking that it was before drenching my hair in it. I'd worry about untangling it once I used the conditioner, but at the moment I was only trying to get my hair sanitary. After a tiring amount of scrubbing, I washed out the foam and replaced in with the white creamy substance that I had identified as conditioner. Now was the painful part. I tried running a comb through my hair, but grunted with surprise as the comb quickly got stuck in my hair and snapped in half when I tried to tug it free. I groaned, digging the chunk of whatever alien material the comb had been made of out of my mass of hair and trying to use my fingers to manually separate the knots. I continued this until it was untangled enough for me to run a brush through and get everything else. I whimpered as the brush collected thick clumps of hair.

 _Have I been in a lot of fights? Yes. Has my hair been pulled in a lot of those fights? Yes. Have I become insensitive to the feeling of my scalp being tugged away from my skull?_

 _…_

 _Hell no._

By the time I finally got out of the shower, clean for the first time in years, several vargas had passed. I groaned as I turned off the steady flow of water and stepped out, water droplets beading on my skin and rolling down my body as my wet hair dripped behind me. I squeezed the water out of my hair and patted down my body, drying off. I quickly lubricated my entire body with what I had established as lotion and smeared something similar to vaseline on my lips. I brushed my teeth, combed through my hair once more (much more easily this time), and used the toilet before pulling on my bodysuit again. It had dried from my makeshift washing as I showered, and now felt much more comfortable than it had in awhile. I picked up my helmet and exited the bathroom, turning off the lights and climbing onto the bed. I let out a large exhale as soon as I tucked myself under the covers, my body sinking into the mattress.

 _This is_ ** _way_** _softer than those stupid metal bunk beds on the Galra ship._

I decided against sleeping with my helmet on as I usually did and placed it on the side table, letting my head rest against the pillows with no interference. I didn't have anything to use to tie up my hair, so I simply let it sprawl across the bed around me.

 _Usually that would be described as angelic, but that isn't the most fitting for a girl with zero memories before an existence (because it really can't be considered a life) of killing endlessly. Maybe demonically? Ha. Much better._

I stared at the ceiling as I thought, pondering over how quickly my life ( _Could this now be called a life?_ ) had changed.

 _Lance is flirty and dumb. Okay, not dumb. Funny. I'll give him that. And maybe a little helpful at times._

 _Hunk seems kind… and nervous. Do I still scare him?_

 _Keith… is competitive? He seems awfully cold. But then again, all I've done since I arrived here is intimidate him. Would it be worth it to try and get to know him?_

 _Pidge is, of course, incredibly curious about me. She seems very intelligent. And clever. A tad devious. She might have a point that I should care more about discovering my past. Damn that girl. She's sparked my curiosity now. She'd be a nice… friend… or should I still not have friends? They caused weakness on the Galra ship. Is it safe to have them here?_

 _Shiro… without a doubt a strong leader. Kind hearted. Skilled. Understanding. Perhaps traumatized himself? Pidge did say he was previously a prisoner of the Galra too. As I said earlier, that man has a gut of steel and a heart of gold. Everyone laughed when I said that at the dinner table. I'm still not quite sure how that's funny. But my sense of humor may be a bit dull._

 _Allura seems… nice. Very formal, but I suppose that's a result of being a princess. Maybe she's just focused on being a leader. She did apologize earlier… but I still feel as if she may not trust me. Then again, I can't blame her. She wants the best for the universe, and she's allowing me to stay in her nice ass castle in a nice ass room with a nice ass bed and a nice ass shower that would've been even nicer if washing my hair hadn't hurt like a bitch._

 _Coran… is an eccentric guy. He's very cheerful and sincere, it's almost refreshing. Bubbly. That's the perfect way to describe him._

I smiled ever so slightly.

 **With these thoughts in my head, I let my eyelids droop closed and my body go limp as I fell into a very much needed sleep.**

 **A/N: Hey, My Lions! I had planned for this chapter to have more action, but I got distracted writing the conversation with Pidge and describing all the washing. I had to limit myself… but by the time I was done with that, I was already over 2,000 words and realized that I should just wait until the next chapter to write what I had in mind. Haha… anyway! I did notice yesterday, on Christmas, that I hit 20K! Thank you all so much! It means a lot, especially since I've been struggling with some things recently. I'd love to do a 20K celebration special, so keep an eye out for that! I also had wanted to upload a Christmas special, but I didn't have the time to… so I guess instead I'll just give you all this especially long chapter? I'm sorry that it wasn't that interesting. I promise next chapter will have more action! Perhaps a 'little' gore. Oh, and regarding DeviantArt. As you all know, I've been trying to upload this story, The White Lion, onto DeviantArt as well as a few other platforms so that you all can read it in multiple places. I'm having a few complications that I'm working on solving, so that may take a bit longer than expected. I apologize once again. Anywho! Thank you all again! Until next time, bai My Lions!**


	11. Chapter 11

**(Y/n)'s P.O.V.**

 _Had it all been a dream...? Had the paladins of Voltron really not saved me…?_

I was back in the Galra ship, by hands cuffed behind my back as two Galran sentries forcibly escorted me down the hallway.

I struggled briefly, annoyed by their rough treatment, and began raising my voice,"Oi! Purple furries! Mind telling me what the fuck you think you're doing dragging me in this godforsaken-"

"Shut up, A-57012E84K, before we have to put a muzzle on you," one of the Galra growled at me, silencing me with a harsh slap across my face. I stumbled slightly and quickened my pace to keep up, further irritated as I glared at them.

 _Do these dumbass anthropomorphic mutts really not realize they're the things that look like they need muzzles?_

The telltale stinging on my cheek told me that a mark was already forming from their hand. The sound of fighting drifted to my ears; screams of pain, clashing of metal on metal, the occasional excited uproar of the crowd that followed a particularly violent move or death, the sobbing and wailing of prisoners being sent to battle for their lives. My stomach twisted into a knot and I scowled.

 _What monster will I face this time?_

I, or we if you want to include the guards dragging me, arrived at the gladiator arena. They uncuffed me and shoved me into the arena before I could protest, the gate sliding down behind me and trapping me in. I grunted as I stumbled slightly, clenching my hands into fists in front of me and locking up my knees, eyes wide like a deer in headlights. I could feel the judgmental yellow gazes of the Galra piercing me from every direction, and I bit my lower lip, the knot in my stomach tightening. The entire arena smelt of blood and my posture trembled as I tried to keep my head up, ignoring all the whispers of the alien observers. The gate opposite from me slid open and I inhaled sharply, watching as my opponent was pushed into the gladiator arena. My eyes widened further and I did a double take at who I saw.

 _It's… her…_

A human girl stood across from me, her expression a mirror image of my own. She had medium-length, wavy blonde hair, and her skin was fair. Her light brown eyes were wide open with shock upon seeing me, beginning to water. I shook my head to dispel my own shock and began sprinting at her. The volume of the crowd rose, eager for the oncoming fight.

"Look at how bloodthirsty it is!" I heard one onlooker call, earning a few nods of approval. She began to run towards me as well, and our forces met in an explosive reunion. I wrapped my arms around her tightly in an embrace as she did the same to me.

All the roaring excitement of the crowd came to a halt, only confused gasps and disappointed sighs taking its place. The girl was a bit shorter than me and buried her head into my shoulder, and a wide smile crept onto my face as I heard a small sniffle.

"Amber? Are you crying?" I questioned, a teasing tone in my voice despite the facts that tears were brimming my eyes too.

"...Yes, you jerk," Amber grumbled playfully, releasing me, "Where have you been?!" I hummed, faking deep thought.

"Well, let's see…" I said slowly, counting on my fingers, "Yesterday was space, and the day before that was space too… this morning was space… and-"

She laughed, sighing with false annoyance, "Okay, I get it, you've got jokes. Space. The only place we've all been for a while."

I nodded, somewhat pleased with myself before I spoke, "Hey, where's Travis?" Amber opened her mouth to speak, eyes moving to something - or someone - behind me as strong arms suddenly encircled my waist from behind, lifting me into the air with ease. I gave an involuntary exclamation, kicking out my legs instinctively and thrashing. I froze as I heard a familiar, gentle masculine chuckle from behind me, turning in their arms to be met with bright green eyes and messy, short white hair. The tanned boy grinned up at me and spun me in a circle, causing me to giggle as I placed my hands on his shoulders to steady myself.

"Wow! Amber, look," Travis stated, faking surprise, "I got the infamously sarcastic (Y/n) to show emotion! In fact, she revealed _happiness_!" I laughed as he placed me down, wrapping my arms around his upper back in a tight hug with slight difficulty due to his taller stature.

"Shut it, Travis," I murmured, smiling. I felt Amber join our hug, turning it into a group moment.

"Well damn, don't go stealing (Y/n) from me," she joked at Travis. We separated after a small while, ignoring the loud booing of the crowd due to the lack of violence.

"Just so long as I don't have to share her with the Galra. Amber and I have been in the same cell, but where've you been, (Y/n)? We're in the C sector," Travis questioned, turning to face me.

"Stop chatting and start fighting before we kill you all ourselves!" A Galran guard yelled at us, and I turned to regard them.

"I'd like to see you try! I'd call you a jackass but that'd be insulting to donkeys, so why don't you just go fuck yourself instead!" I screamed back, then returned to facing Amber and Travis, speaking casually as if I hadn't just dissed our captors, "I'm in the A sector." They both nodded. Travis suddenly examined my face more closely, his eyebrows furrowing. I stared back at him with confusion as he reached out to me. "What?" He touched the cheek where I'd been slapped and frowned as I flinched slightly.

"You've been hurt," he said, worry in his voice. I sighed, placing my hand over his on my cheek.

"We all have been, Travis," I responded, smiling at how sweet he was, "you can't be concerned explicitly about me. I've been in far worse fights and dealt with worse wounds than a slap mark on my face." I pointed to his arm, that had been wrapped roughly with torn cloth from the dark purple prisoner garb we all wore. "See? You've obviously been hurt too."

He smiled and waved off the concern, joking, "'Tis but a scratch." I huffed with amusement.

"Alright Shakespeare," I teased, before turning to look at Amber, "You good, Amber?" Amber nodded at me, suddenly seeming nervous.

"Yes… I haven't been in one of these 'gladiator matches' until now, so I haven't fought," she mumbled, "which is a good thing, because you two know I can't fight. We all received training during Test YAFTTS V3, but I was always poorly ranked when it came to sparring. I was our communications specialist, not a pilot or engineer." Travis beat me to the chase and put a hand on Amber's shoulder.

"Well, we're a crew! Project Majora is in the past. We aren't gonna fight, 'kay?" he reassured her with a soft smile, but Amber wasn't paying attention. Her eyes were wide with fear as she pointed to the arena entrance behind me. I heard the sound of the gate opening, and Travis looked over. "Huh?" I turned around and saw three Galran guards walking in, druids hovering behind them. The crowd stopped booing, their interest now piqued.

One of the druids who seemed to be the leader of them cackled and spoke, "Prisoner A-57012E84K, you should be thankful. I've selected you to become my little project. Guards, seize her. It's time that us druids test our quintessence based serum for the development of the Galra Empire and Zarkon." I narrowed my eyes, glaring at them as I scowled and shifted my body into a fight stance.

 _I see… so this_ _ **bitch**_ _must be the Haggar I've heard about._

I was ready to pounce when suddenly Travis pulled me behind him, his jaw set and eyes stern. I'd seen that look on him before. There was already no changing his mind.

"No," Travis announced boldly, "you won't take her." Amber seemed to have swallowed her fear and stepped up as well, standing in front of me protectively. Haggar must have taken this as a challenge, because she gestured her hand, causing the guards to step forward and attempt to push Travis and Amber out of the way. Travis grabbed one of the guards' outstretched arms and flipped them over, grabbing their gun and hitting another upside the head with it. Amber threw herself forward into the remaining guard's chest, clumsily slamming her body into theirs and causing them to fall back, not expecting the attack.

"Oh~? Not bad, the boy might have potential. Such a shame," Haggar hissed, her voice malicious as she waved her hand, several more guards jogging in. Travis grunted and tried shooting a few, but his aim wasn't ideal under the pressure of the situation and he was quickly disarmed, one of the guards kicking him to the ground and holding his hands behind him back. Amber weakly tried to punch one, but her fist was caught and forced behind her back with the other, restraining her.

Travis groaned and tried to thrash out of the guard's grasp, Amber only staring at me apologetically as she tried to slip away from the guard. The rest of them surged at me and I clenched my jaw, beginning to run away.

"Fight them already and stop being a coward!" Someone in the crowd yelled. I only smirked, suddenly pivoting back and throwing my body at one of the five pursuing guards. I crouched slightly, jabbing my shoulder up into their stomach to knock the breath out of them before wrapping their arm around my shoulders, pushing my legs up out of the crouching position with all of my strength to lift the Galran soldier onto my back. I quickly spun a full 360, using the momentum to propel them off of my shoulders and cause their body to slam into another guard.

 _Two occupied, two down, and three left to go…_

I panted, glaring at the three remaining Galra who were circling me like wolves before lunging in at their prey for the killing strike. Realizing that I didn't have the energy or strength left to take on three more, especially with their positioning, I waited for a slight gap before making a dash for it, trying to break out of the circle. I felt an armored hand close around the collar of my ragged shirt as I passed the guards, trying to pull me back, and I turned to face them abruptly, throwing all my force at their jaw through my fist. The punch connected with a sickening crack as the guard fell to the ground, most likely unconscious. I shook my hand, my knuckles bruised from the sheer force. Seeing another one of the guards approaching me, I roundhouse kicked them in the chest with a smirk.

 _Another down… wait… where's the fifth?!_

I got my answer when I was suddenly tackled from behind, pinned under the Galran's heavy body weight. They pulled my wrists together and held them in a harsh grip above my head, standing up and literally dragging me behind them as they walked towards the druids, ignoring my kicking and struggling. The soldier cuffed my hands behind my back and tossed me at the feet of Haggar as the other guards began to get up and leave the arena. Haggar held up a syringe full of a strange yellow and purple liquid and smirked at me, only her mouth and glowing yellow eyes visible from the shadow that the deep cowl of her cloak casted.

"(Y/N)!" Both Amber and Travis called to me desperately as the Galrans released them and jogged out of the arena, Amber rushing over to help Travis up. I glared up at Haggar as she brushed my hair out of the way, forcibly tilting my head to the side and moving the syringe closer to my neck.

" _Ngh-!_ " I hissed in pain as the needle plunged into my neck, squeezing my eyes shut and shivering in disgust at the sensation of the unnatural serum being injected into my veins. Haggar made sure to inject all of the serum into my neck before pulling out the needle. Haggar was watching me intently, as if waiting for something to happen.

Haggar suddenly smirked, leaning in close to whisper in my ear, " _Vrepit Sa_."

 _Vrepit… Sa…? The hell?_

After a moment's hesitation, a splitting pain suddenly hit my head and my eyes snapped open, wide as I screamed, "AAGHHHHH!" Then I fell silent, only small strangled noises escaping my throat as my eyes rolled back in my head. The pain was excruciating, like my mind had been set aflame, and an awful ringing noise filled my ears, any other sounds muffled as if I was underwater. My vision was black and blurry, only the whites of my eyes visible, and the only thing I could smell was blood and sickness. A metallic taste filled my mouth, resting heavily on my tongue, and I knew it was blood. I vaguely felt myself hit the ground, registering that I had been thrown back into the arena, but the cold metal cuffs were still locked around my wrists.

Vibrations of feet hitting the ground and distorted barely recognizable voices screaming my name approached me. I arched my back and convulsed violently as hands grabbed at my thrashing body, trying to hold me down and check if I was okay.

 _It feels like my very soul… is being pushed out of my body… help…_

 **Then I suddenly stilled.**

 **A/N: Huehuehue… I love writing cliffhangers. Reading them, not so much, but writing them? The suffering is almost as good as angst. Speaking of angst, I'm just warning all of you, it's about to get way angstier than this. I was originally going to write it all in one chapter, but I got caught up in detail again and decided to split it into two once I surpassed 2,000 words. Also, I'll try to update an A/N for 20K soon, but I finally got rid of my Writer's Block (for now) and all I want to do is write more of The White Lion. Anyway. Until next time, bai My Lions!**


	12. Chapter 12

_**Warning: Very graphic descriptions of violence and gore ahead!**_

 **(Y/n)'s P.O.V.**

My seizure over and pain beginning to numb, I could feel my body tense and stop struggling against the grip of the two pairs of hands holding me down. I blinked as my eyes returned to normal, refocusing. A strange feeling overtook me, as if I couldn't control myself. Like I was only sitting in the back of my mind and watching through my eyes as if they were windows. The hands holding me down, which I could now identify and Amber and Travis' hands, seemed to relax, cautiously letting go. With some amount of difficulty, I managed to get up from laying on the ground into a crouching position and strained my cuffed wrists, pushing my restrained arms down and around my rear end until they were pressed against the back of my knees. I proceeded to move my legs and step backwards so that my feet were between my cuffed wrists, leaving my hands in front of me instead of forced behind. Grunting from the effort, I stood up and staggered slightly.

"(Y-Y/n)? Are you okay?" Amber asked me, her voice laced with… fear? No, it was worry.

 _For me._

The thought hurt somehow and I pushed it out of my head, my confusion building as I found myself unable to respond. I tried looking up at her and found myself unable to do that either, so I continued staring at the ground.

"(Y/n)?" Travis questioned, his voice coated with just as much concern as Amber's, "Ah, here. Let me help you with those chains." He outstretched his tanned hands to me, and I wanted to smile at his helpful nature. Instead I stepped back, clenching my hands into fists and raising them over my head as if to strike him. "Huh? (Y/n)? What're you doing?"

" _I don't know. Please help,"_ is what I wanted to say, but nothing came out. I slammed my hands down as if I was trying to cleave wood with an ax and pulled my arms in opposite directions at the same moment. With a sharp clink, the chain connecting the cuffs around my wrists snapped in half, freeing my hands. I flinched as the metal cuffs dug into the flesh of my wrists, blood running down my arms to my hands and dripping off my fingertips. Amber let out a gasp and Travis startled slightly, a small worried noise somewhat close to a yelp escaping his lips.

"(Y/n)! What the hell? Why would you do that and hurt yourself? Amber and I could have helped you get them off!" he exclaimed. I already knew his facial expression without looking up, since we'd known each other so long. He most likely had his typical worried look - brow furrowed, lips pulled into a thin smile, and eyes soft as he bent down slightly to look at me directly, probably running a hand through his white hair. He gently grabbed my bloodied hands and pulled them towards him before opening the cuffs around my wrists, taking them off easily since I had broken the lock mechanism in the process of breaking the chain. He began to carefully inspect the shallow gashes around my now bruised wrists before I suddenly pulled my hands out of his gentle yet firm grasp, freeing myself with less effort than usually required due to the slick warmth.

"(Y/n)... please just let me help," Travis murmured with slight desperation, sounding hurt. I flinched at his tone of voice, not able to stand hearing Travis saddened, yet I wasn't able to do anything. For the first time I was glad I wasn't able to look up. Seeing his face pained and vulnerable might've actually broken my heart. I felt hands grab my shoulders softly, but they were smaller and more slender than Travis'.

 _Amber… not you too._

"(Y/n), is something wrong? You're not acting like yourself; you haven't said anything," she queried, looking up at me and trying to peer at my face. But she wasn't able to see much. My (h/c) locks fell into my face, including the streak of white hair I'd had for as long as I could remember, and covered my eyes. My mouth didn't give away any sense of emotion; I wasn't particularly smiling or frowning. Just expressionless, perhaps stoic. My nostrils weren't flared, so it wasn't as if my nose could give away any indication. I remained silent to Amber's question.

 _Am I okay? Something must be wrong. What's happening? I can't control anything._

Amber moved one of her hands to my face gingerly, attempting to brush my hair away, but I grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"Eh? (Y/n)?" she questioned, confusion in her voice. I let go of her wrist and shrugged her hand off my shoulder, pushing her away roughly. She let out a small sound of surprise and stumbled back, about to fall had Travis not caught her. He helped her to her feet, steadying her, then looked at me in shock.

 _No, no! I didn't mean to! Yes, we've roughhoused before, but I'd never hurt either of you intentionally…_

A realization hit me.

 _The fucking_ _ **serum**_ _._

"(Y/n)...?" Travis trailed off, suspicion starting to lace his voice. I bit my lip and gripped at my head, fidgeting as I fought whatever Haggar had injected into me for control. It was a vain battle. Regardless, I had to try and warn them.

 _Amber and Travis, my dear teammates…_

Digging my nails into my scalp and clenching my jaw, I muttered a ragged warning, "I can't… I don't have control… Please… run…" I suddenly stopped trembling, the war against the serum already lost, "I'm sorry."

 _Escape, please… hell, even kill me. Anything to protect yourselves._

 **Then I lost it completely.**

"Huh? (Y/n), what do yo-" Amber began, but cut herself off with a gasp as I finally looked up at them. I heard Travis gasp as well, his eyes widening. My pupils were extremely dilated, so blown that they nearly blocked out my (e/c) irises, making my glossed over eyes look like eclipses. I vaguely felt myself foaming at the mouth, a mixture of frothy saliva and blood spilling from my lips. The two people standing in front of me slowly became less and less familiar as a strange sense of violent rage overtook me. I smirked and growled at them, my eyes wide and crazed. I was a rabid wolf, my two previous friends mere rabbits- my prey. A metallic clanking sound caught my attention and I turned in time to see two swords being thrown through the gate. They hit the ground of the gladiator arena and skidded past me, stopping at the boy's and girl's feet. I turned to face them again, watching as the both of them picked up one of the swords each.

I watched as the girl's hands trembled around the hilt of the sword, biting her lip and murmuring to the boy next to her, "I-... I don't want to use this… especially not on (Y/n)... she doesn't even have a w-weapon… this isn't a fair fight…" Her voice was shaking just as much as her hands. It brought me a sick sense of excitement.

"Me neither," the boy replied, "but it doesn't seem like (Y/n) has control of herself. Most likely from whatever was in the shot that witch gave her. Regardless! We'll find a way to bring her back without killing her. It'll be okay, Amber." He offered a determined smile to the terrified girl. My stance faltered, fear and sadness flickering across my face for a moment.

 _I don't want to hurt them… please-_

 _ **No. I'll torture them to death.**_

Just as quickly my sadistic and angered expression returned, and I snarled as I charged at them.

 **Third Person P.O.V.**

Travis' eyes widened as he pulled Amber behind him, bracing his body and positioning his arms into an X-formation over his face to effectively block your violent punch. You swept your leg under him suddenly, knocking the white-haired male to the ground. He grunted and grabbed your ankle as you tried to run past him to Amber, pulling you down with him. You growled as he quickly pounced on top of you, straddling your waist and pressing his sword to your throat with hesitance in his eyes. He frowned anxiously, not making any further motion to complete the lethal move, and you took this chance to grab the edge of the blade and push it away, ignoring as the sharp weapon cut deeply into your already bloody palm. The sword no longer in a deadly position, you bucked your hips up with a grunt of effort and wrapped your legs around Travis' neck from behind, tightening them and slowly strangling him. His mouth hung open in an attempt to gasp for air, but only choking sounds came out, face slowly turning red as he tried to pull your legs off of his neck. The truth was that he could have just cut through your hand, severing your fingers and slicing through your bones, then slit your throat, but he didn't have the heart to kill you.

"How pitiful," an audience member said, "that white-haired one is in the perfect position to exterminate the other but it's just letting itself be choked instead."

"It's better this way," another replied, "imagine how annoying it'd be to have to watch it again. It has too much mercy, so it might as well die." Amber ran forward, looking helpless as she hesitantly delivered a weak kick to your side. You ignored it, focused on suffocating the male on top of you.

"Amb-... her… leg… stab…!" Travis croaked, on the verge of passing out. Amber bit her lip, her eyes widening.

"But-...!" she protested briefly, reluctant to hurt you. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and stabbed your thigh, trying her best to block out the feeling of the metal sinking into your flesh and your cry of pain that followed. You released Travis, loosening your legs around his neck as he gasped desperately for air and fell to the side, moving his sword out of the indent in your hand in the process and causing you to no longer be trapped under him. You ignored the large amount of crimson fluid that poured from the cut in your hand and stained the already filthy ground of the gladiator arena, numbing yourself to how your wounded hand jostled slightly with every movement as the visible tendons strained to keep your partially severed hand together. Amber pulled her sword out of your thigh, drawing an agonized groan from you, and hesitantly opened her eyes, resisting the urge to check if you were okay and running over to Travis. He was now on his hands and knees, breathing still labored. Travis looked up at Amber, his hair tousled and chest heaving as he smiled weakly. His eyes widened as he saw you slowly get up from behind the blonde, staggering from the stab wound in your leg that gushed plasma like the open valve of a sink faucet. The area on your pants around the gash had been soaked with blood, making the gray and black material appear darker. He drew in a deep breath as you approached at a concerningly fast speed considering you had to limp.

"Watch out, Amber!" he rasped, trying to stand. Amber spun around to see you directly behind her, eyes widening. You lunged forward to hit her, but was interrupted as Travis swung his sword at you, forcing you to jump back. It was poorly placed, proving that he was still holding back on you in hopes that you'd break the effects of the serum. He lunged forward at you and you growled, ready to defend, but was caught off guard as he wrapped his arms around you in a tight hug, the tip of his sword pointed away from you.

"C'mon (Y/n)," he whispered in your ear, "you're stronger than that witch's stupid magic. Please." You tensed in his grasp, your muscles freezing up. He slowly let go of you, taking a step back as he watched you with cautious eyes. You stared at him for a moment, eyes wide and mouth agape, but just as quickly your eyes lowered into a fiendish glare, mouth widening into a dark smirk. You clenched your unwounded hand into a fist, slugging Travis across the cheek. He grunted and stumbled back, giving you time to lock up the knee of your damaged leg and spin around, using the other leg to kick Travis hard in the chest. The white-haired boy slammed into the wall of the stands behind him, hitting his head against the metal and cringing as the impact reverberated throughout his cranium. He fell to his knees and clutched the back of his head with both hands as if to protect it, eyes instinctively squeezing shut as he let out a whimper of anguish.

"Fool," one of the aliens observing above him murmured to the Galran beside them, "what, did it think the power of love would solve its issues?"

Their partner snickered, responding, "Probably. These ones look like humans. It's no wonder they're so inferior." The Galran slammed his hands on the walls of the stands, sending more vibrations at Travis. "Hey! Get up, weakling! The fight isn't over yet and we expect to be entertained!"

Meanwhile, you had engaged Amber. It wasn't a fair fight from the start. Amber held her sword close to her chest, bottom lip quivering and eyes wide as she quaked. You advanced on her quickly and she inhaled sharply, weakly swinging her blade at you. You used your uninjured hand to grab her wrist, stopping the sword from moving closer to you, and quickly slid closer to her, your other arm wrapping around her bicep and shoulder to keep her arm stiff and held out while your mangled hand dangled. Her feeble attempts to escape your hold were halted as you pulled down her wrist harshly.

Amber's eyes filled with tears and she let out a bloodcurdling scream of torment, nearly drowning out the loud _crack_ of the bones in and around her elbow shattering. Her face contorted in a mask of agony as her arm bent at the elbow in the opposite direction it should have, the 90-degree angle raised in the air rather than by her waist. Large shards of white tore through her pale skin and the sleeves of the black shirt under the ragged purple Galran prisoner garb, the chunks of bone piercing her flesh and allowing liquid scarlet to spew out of the lacerations. The excruciating pain and inability to move her hand forced Amber to drop her sword, and you released Amber, grabbing her fallen sword by the pommel before adjusting your hands.

Your hands already soaked in red, the life juice felt warm and sticky between your fingers as you clutched the sword's dripping hilt. You pulled the sword back, waiting until Amber looked at you, salty water trickling down her cheeks from her puffy eyes and snot running from her nose while she continued shrieking in a mixture of pure terror and misery.

 **Her horrified wide eyes met your malicious gaze, then you swung the blade in a hard arc towards her neck.**

 **A/N: Um… okay, so I got a little caught up in writing the gore. I also got caught up in detail again, so the other half of Chapter 12 is going to become Chapter 13, and you all get another cliffhanger! I'll try to post the current results of the 20K special soon, and a lot of Chapter 13 is already written. Are you all attached to Amber and Travis yet? That's the goal. Until next time, bai My Lions!**


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